The Government needs to take urgent action to halt a rapid decline in sexual health and deal with an "appalling" crisis in services, a report warns today.

Years of under-funding have left NHS sexual health clinics in England unable to cope with demand and having to turn people away as the number of those infected with sexually transmitted infections (STIs) rockets.

According to the Parliamentary health select committee, one in 10 sexually active young women in England is infected with chlamydia, syphilis rates have increased 500pc in six years and gonorrhoea has doubled.

The report, on the impact of the Government's National Sexual Health and HIV Strategy for England, says services are ill-equipped and urges the Government to make sexual health a priority and increase funding. The committee blamed lack of direction for the current "crisis" in sexual health.

With clinics turning hundreds of people away each week, the report calls for a target of 48 hours for potentially infected patients to reach specialist medicine services.

In addition, the Government must "urgently review" staffing and introduce a national chlamydia screening programme immediately. Serious concerns were raised about lack of information to young people on sexual issues.

With 176,000 women undergoing abortions in 2001 the report suggested contraception should be promoted and steps taken to improve access to safe, early abortions.

Public Health Minister Hazel Blears said there was "no quick fix" for reducing sexually transmitted infections.